Life can be tough at the top. General Motors learned that lesson in the ’80s and ’90s, and Toyota is now going through a similar learning curve. The Japanese automaker’s recalls are at record highs, but Toyota will try to rein in quality issues through a boost in overtime pay.
In Japan, Toyota workers regularly participate in what is known as “QC Circle,” short for quality control circle. QC Circle sessions generally take place after work and are intended to get ideas from workers on how to improve Toyota’s overall quality and efficiency. However, even though the sessions take place after hours, Toyota workers have been limited to two overtime hours per month for the sessions. But after a new court ruling, Toyota will begin fully compensating its workers for the sessions, beginning next month.
The court ruling stemmed from the death of a 30-year old Toyota worker. The middle-manager was in charge of checking car body defects and would routinely work more than 100 overtime hours per month. After several months, he died due to overwork, according to The Detroit News. In fact, death from overwork is so common in Japan, they have a saying for it — “karoshi.” Karoshi is so common in the Japanese culture that there is a law that allows families to collect money from the employer if overwork is found as the cause of death.
While the new compensation plan may not reduce the number of hours a Toyota employee has to work, the Japanese automaker is hoping that it will encourage its workers to participate in more after-hours events.
05/23, 2:22 PM
posted by:
cookie4me
Hmmm.. I wil be considering the source, The Detroit News…
05/23, 2:29 PM
posted by:
xyunya
That’s true, they do work hard. They also drink hard, try to prove that it is from working not from drinking in court.
05/23, 2:43 PM
posted by:
stick2clutch
working them to death huh… what’s that slogan again?? “I love what you do for me.” so much for the workers.
05/23, 2:55 PM
posted by:
61Vette
It’s Toyota, so now we’re considering sources? Let the brainwashing continue.
05/23, 2:56 PM
posted by:
foster1
F**k Toyota. I truly now hate them. That is crazy. How could you support that type of comy mind set by buying one of there products.
05/23, 3:19 PM
posted by:
El Aleman
What’s comy about that?
It’s a private corporation, not a government run company. People aren’t forced to work there, they can quit anytime.
Plus it’s part of the japanese society and happens at all kinds of companies.. Between 20.000 and 30.000 deaths a year in Japan are caused by overworking..
I’ve never heard one single case of “karoshi” in Europe or America.. We are such lazy ****s.
05/23, 3:24 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
^blah blah blah
05/23, 3:25 PM
posted by:
roger426
Speak for yourself El Aleman^ you use the word we to loosely.
05/23, 3:31 PM
posted by:
foster1
What are you talking about American’s are not lazy just because we don’t belive in working are fellow man to death. El Aleman Comy Mind set> The way they run there business. They don’t care about there employees is my point. IF you like it so much why don’t you move there and work for Toyota. Let us know how it works out for you. And I hope you never run a business.
05/23, 3:33 PM
posted by:
foster1
They can quit and work somewhere else. BUt at the same time you say that it’s comen at other companies. So going from one to another doesn’t seem to back your point at all. However it does back up my point. Thx I guess
05/23, 3:45 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
Wait… so to decrease the amount of hours people stay overtime, they’re going to raise overtime pay? Huh?
El Aleman- Go look up the amount of work hours for Americans vs. the rest of the world. If you take away the **** your talking then what are you left with?
Foster1- That still isn’t a commie mind set…
What bugs me is the Chinese and Japanese mindset of shame.
05/23, 3:59 PM
posted by:
Got Handling?
Read again Jackoff, they are going to increase the number of overtime QC hours the workers are allowed to claim.
.
Foster1, one of the reasons that the Japanese work so hard is a historical motivation to regain their national pride following the defeat they got handed by the USA in WW2. Its something that they have been heavily committed to and I don’t see what could be communist about national pride. It also seems to have been pretty effective – who’s #1 now?
.
While we are on the subject of national pride, isn’t it mostly the Toyotas built in the great US of A which are suffering from recalls
05/23, 4:51 PM
posted by:
Lawnchair88
I’m not sure why leftlane is reporting a court ruling mandating Toyota to fully compensate its workers for their overtime as simply an increase in overtime pay. Also, why misconstrue this as, “Toyota will try to rein in quality issues through a boost in overtime pay.”
05/23, 5:54 PM
posted by:
affliction
My fellow fat Americans, allow me to introduce to you Karoshi. It means getting off your fat asses and actually moving and burning some calories instead of having the helicopter lift you off of your bed b/c you’re so fat from od’ing on doritos and haagen daz ice cream.
05/23, 6:08 PM
posted by:
Kaizen
Lawnchair88 hit it 100%. The real reason why Toyota has been having quality issues isn’t because of ‘overtime’ concerns. Toyota felt it would be able to save money by reducing prototyping and relying more on computer modeling to engineer vehicles…up until 2008 model years. We are now dealing with the affects of this past practice.
05/23, 6:28 PM
posted by:
Jordan
that’s not a communist mindset. it’s an overly capitalist mindset. duh.
05/23, 6:31 PM
posted by:
beantownslut
overtime for stealing americans’ money
05/23, 8:30 PM
posted by:
Need4SSpeed
yeah Kaizen and it’s also Toyota’s global conquest, they are spitting out cars quicker than anything, and of course when you produce more at a rapid rate your quality is going to decline, happened with GM, now it’s Toyota’s time to learn this, and it’s only the beginning.
05/24, 12:53 AM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
Death from “overwork?” That’s the stupidest ****ing thing I’ve ever heard of. There is no such thing, unless you’re in a slave camp and you die of dehydration/heat shock. Stupid media strikes again.
05/24, 2:55 PM
posted by:
foster1
Got handling. Why don’t you just move there seeing how much nation pride you have here. And no they have had recalls there as well. Fuel line’s lexus member. OW that’s right your a retard why even come on this website you have nothing good to add but smart as comment’s that mean nothing.
05/24, 2:57 PM
posted by:
foster1
I think that your a commy Got handling, and let me guess you own a jap car don’t you.
05/24, 8:27 PM
posted by:
injunraiv
How ironic if he did… Name one jap car that handles well (I know there are some, but I bet he don’t have one!)
05/27, 5:52 AM
posted by:
Got Handling?
Foster1, I have a great deal of national pride which is easy for me as I’m not a fat American warmonger. I come here to laugh at illiterate ignorami. My garage contents are mostly German with one 4×4 from the USA because lets face it, when you need something oversized and ready to indiscriminately crush any obstacle without considering the outcome, there’s only one country to go to.
.
I did own a 12-year-old Celica while at college, and it remains the best-built car I ever had.
05/27, 6:10 AM
posted by:
Got Handling?
Injuraiv,
If I were a little more communist-minded and not the brand snob that I am, I’d enjoy time behind the wheel of any of the following:
Honda S2000, (technically I did own one of these, but I changed my mind before taking delivery)
Honda Civic Type-R
Honda Integra Type-R
.
Lexus IS300
.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
.
Subaru Impreza (WRX or not)
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Forester
.
Mazda MX-5
Mazda RX-8
Mazda 6
.
Nissan 350Z
Nissan Skyline
Infiniti G35
Infiniti FX35
My USA list would be a LOT shorter
05/27, 9:30 AM
posted by:
HemiRoadRunner
Screw the import humpers in here. The japs do overwork their workers. I worked for a jap company as an engineer and we would continueously work 72-80 weeks, as fing engineers. The japs don’t want you to have a private life, hobbies family etc. they live to work and we work to live. They’re all about getting something for nothing, and those meetings ther have after work are BS plain and simple. The have meeting for the most useless, unimportant things were they try to reinvent the wheel 1000 times and they always come to the same conclusion. This is exactly why I sometimes side with the unions, to keep BS like 100 hours of OVERTIME from happening.
05/29, 4:46 PM
posted by:
lamboz get a life
Honda in Marysville, Ohio, where the U.S. Accord/TL/Civic is built has one of the highest turnover rates in Central Ohio. Most bluecollar wage earners are hired through temp services first at a measley 10 an hour and if they kiss enough ass, they get hired fulltime. People who have worked there complain of the arrogance that the Japanese supervisors have towards them.